Chapter 55

While Amon’s party was self-isolating at their respective homes, Cash also spent her time at her family’s estate.

For those few months, her daily life was much more abundant than the other party members.

If she needed exercise, she could head to the basement; if she wanted to swim, she could go to the terrace; and if she wanted to read, she could go to the study.

She didn’t even need to go out for groceries.

Whenever she mentioned what she wanted to eat, the chef would prepare a splendid meal using the finest fresh ingredients.

A life lacking nothing.

But it felt strange.

She quickly grew bored of exercising and swimming within a week.

Even when she read books, compared to the experiences she had with Amon and her comrades, she felt little sense of accomplishment.

Above all, no matter how delicious the meals on the table were, they tasted bland.

Her tongue was pleased, and her stomach was satisfied, but her brain felt something was missing.

When she cut into a steak, she always remembered the sausages she ate with her comrades at the mercenary diner.

It wasn’t just her mood—she genuinely missed the potato fries she snacked on more than the sorbet the chef made for dessert.

At the dining table, where the distance between people felt too vast, she missed Amon’s presence terribly.

She wasn’t depressed, but she felt listless.

This was how her life at home could be summarized.

Three months had passed since she began living this lethargic life.

The isolation period was four months.

With just one month left, the thought of meeting her friends again slowly began to restore her vitality.

She believed without a doubt that she would spend the next month in the same routine.

Until her father suddenly summoned her.

“Come with me somewhere tomorrow.”

These were the words Chairman Frey brought up during dinner.

Caught off guard by his sudden announcement, Cash reflexively asked, “What about the company?”

“I’m taking the day off tomorrow.”

“Is something going on?”

“Yes. Something very important. So make sure you’re free.”

Since Cash was essentially unemployed, the Chairman’s words were merely a formality.

The right to refuse?

She didn’t have one.

The Chairman clearly loved her enough not to tell her to part with her comrades, but when necessary, he was a strict father.

She reluctantly complied with her father’s one-sided announcement.

The next day.

Cash changed into outdoor clothes before the appointed time.

“Wear something that can get wet and dirty. You’ll probably have to throw it away after we’re done, so don’t bring anything important.”

Following her father’s instructions, Cash changed her clothes.

Choosing sandals she could discard, she finished preparing for the outing.

As the appointed time approached, her father came to her.

Dressed in a suit, shirt, and tie.

Each item was easily worth thousands of dollars, but to the Chairman, they were “disposable” clothes.

He glanced at his leather watch to check the time.

“It’s time.”

He gestured to Cash.

Unconsciously heading toward the entrance, Cash stopped in her tracks.

The Chairman was heading toward the staircase inside the house, not the front door.

Cash asked him, “Father. Didn’t you say we were going out?”

“I said we’re going, not that we’re leaving the house.”

Grumbling about having put on makeup for nothing, Cash followed him to the staircase.

Click, clack.

The Chairman’s dress shoes and Cash’s sandals descended the familiar staircase.

Basement level 3.

The Chairman’s steps halted on the floor where the boiler room and warehouse were located.

He glanced back at Cash once, then operated the control room computer.

Tap, tap, tap.

His skilled fingers tapped the keyboard, and with a final press of the enter key, a secret door opened.

Cash’s mouth hung open at the sight of the secret door she had never seen before.

Unfazed by her reaction, the Chairman gestured.

“Let’s go.”

*

Beyond the secret door, the staircase leading deeper underground was dark.

The father and daughter slowly descended, relying on the dim lighting.

After descending for a while, the Chairman broke the silence.

“You’ve matured now.”

“I’m already an adult.”

“Just because you’re over 20 doesn’t mean you’re fully mature.”

“Hmph…”

Cash puffed out her cheeks.

Normally, her father would have found her adorable, but today was different.

As if afraid of the darkness below, he stiffened and didn’t respond to her.

In a flat tone, his voice came from ahead.

“Our family recognizes a child as an adult 20 years after awakening their magic power.”

“I’ve never heard of that.”

“Because I didn’t tell you.”

“Did my brother go through it too?”

“He did. Five years ago, while you were at the academy.”

“Then why did you keep it a secret until now?”

“It was for your sake. Power you can’t handle is a curse.”

“…What?”

The suddenly heavy topic left Cash no choice but to ask.

“What do you mean…”

“Cash. What do you think is the secret to how the Rekhetio family has reigned as Elders here for decades?”

Without hesitation, Cash answered the Chairman’s question.

“Education and monopolizing talent, right?”

Money, investment strategies, the ability to read political landscapes, the skill to navigate human relationships.

And the ability to design short-term, failure-proof investments that lead to long-term maximum gains.

All of this was passed down through education.

Thus, Cash believed without a doubt that these were the sources of the Rekhetio family’s power.

But the Chairman immediately refuted her assumption.

“No. Human society is neither perfect nor stable. No matter how excellent the education, it doesn’t always lead to success. The reason we’ve always succeeded is—”

Because we can glimpse the future.

The sudden word from the Chairman’s mouth made Cash’s steps halt.

A word she had overheard a few days ago while passing by the Chairman’s room, “Revelation,” echoed in her mind.

As she descended the stairs, she took a step back and began climbing up again.

To her, the Chairman calmly said, “I know what you’re thinking, but I’m not planning to offer you as a sacrifice to some cult. You’re about to ask me how I knew, right?”

“How did you… huh?”

Cash was flustered.

It was possible to roughly guess the question she might ask.

But the Chairman had accurately predicted the exact sentence she was about to say, without missing a single word.

Before she could open her mouth, the Chairman spoke again.

“Yes.”

“Wait, are you really… huh?”

“I really glimpsed the future and answered in advance. Do you believe me now? Were you about to ask if I’m still seeing it now? As you can see.”

“…”

Cash’s mouth hung open.

No matter what she tried to say next, even…

“…What’s the point of asking your father about the location of your lucky underwear in your drawer?”

Even sentences completely out of context were accurately foreseen, leaving her no choice but to believe.

“And today, you’re scheduled to awaken that ability. So stop running away and come down.”

“Ah… okay.”

Reluctantly, she descended the stairs.

Once she fully descended, the Chairman pushed open the iron door at the end of the staircase.

A massive chamber unfolded before her eyes.

Elders with familiar faces were waiting for her and the Chairman.

Under their gaze, the Chairman spoke to Cash, who was feeling intimidated.

“Since you’ll ask me to explain in the future, I’ll explain now. Revelation, Prophetic Dream, Prophecy, Future Vision. The forms vary, but our family can glimpse the future. In my case, it’s in the form of Revelation.”

The Chairman’s Revelation took the form of hearing the voices of his future self in his ears.

At first, it came unconsciously and suddenly, but after decades of training, he could hear it whenever he wanted.

“By combining the voices I hear from countless parallel worlds, I can know the future.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me about this until now…”

“The power to glimpse the future isn’t as convenient or blessed as you might think. It might even be a curse. I feel the same. Knowing the future has made my emotions too shallow.”

At the Chairman’s words, Cash recalled his usual demeanor.

The father she knew was quite emotional for a Megacorp Chairman.

Sometimes childish, laughing heartily when happy, and occasionally showing hurt feelings toward his daughter.

Even in public settings.

Thus, she initially didn’t understand her father’s words.

But the moment she fully understood, she realized.

“Wait… was it all an act?”

The Chairman nodded quietly.

Cash’s complexion turned pale.

His laughter, his tears—it was all an act to lead to a favorable future.

Sometimes, showing a human side made people follow him even more.

The Chairman’s expression as he admitted this looked somewhat weary.

As if he had repeated this conversation countless times, and as if his current expression had no impact on the future.

He showed his fatigue honestly.

The Chairman, seemingly wanting to end this conversation quickly, continued his explanation unilaterally.

“Even I’m like this. What do you think would happen if you awakened this power at an age when emotions are supposed to be rich?”

Most of the time, it leads to tragedy or damages some part of the brain.

Thus, the timing of awakening the power was strictly managed.

The period when the mind is sufficiently mature, and magic power is sufficiently mastered.

They set that period at 20 years after awakening magic power.

“Your magic power has stabilized, and your mind is sufficiently mature. So today, you’re scheduled to awaken your ability.”

Only then did Cash understand her father’s seemingly insane actions.

If the secret to his unparalleled investment skills from a young age was this, it made sense.

Thinking about it, not just her father, but her brother too…

Her brother?

Suddenly, her thoughts reached that point, and Cash called out to the Chairman.

“Father. You said my brother’s coming-of-age ceremony was a few years ago, right?”

“Five years ago.”

“Then when did ‘that woman’ start getting into that strange religion?”

“Five years ago.”

“Wait… did you know about that future too?”

“Yes.”

Grit.

At the Chairman’s calm announcement, Cash clenched her teeth so hard it felt like they might shatter.

She glared at the back of the Chairman’s head as if she wanted to kill him on the spot.

“Do you even love your family? No, can you even love?”

Nod.

“I love you.”

Cash understood what that meant.

She shook her head as if trembling.

“I don’t want to awaken this ability. I don’t want to lose my humanity.”

“Are you sure?”

“What do you mean? I don’t care about power—”

“If you don’t awaken it, you’ll lose your friends.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s advice. I told you. I truly love you.”

At the emotionless, matter-of-fact declaration, Cash couldn’t help but accept it.

That was the truth.

Reluctantly, she agreed to the ritual.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

“Good girl. Someday, you’ll understand me.”

“If I don’t go insane first.”

“That won’t happen.”

Following her father’s confident words, Cash prepared for the ritual.

Standing in the center of the chamber, preparing for the ritual.

The Chairman turned his back to her, preparing the oil for the ritual.

As she closed her eyes, repeating to herself to hold onto her humanity, the Chairman spoke to her.

“Let me correct one misunderstanding.”

“Huh?”

“Why do you think there wasn’t a world where I tried to stop your mother?”

At the Chairman’s somewhat sorrowful voice, Cash couldn’t help but close her mouth.

Meanwhile, the family head, having finished preparing the oil, approached Cash with a jar.

As Cash knelt before him, the Chairman pricked his finger on a thorn at the edge of the jar.

Drip, drip.

Three drops of his blood mixed with the oil.

The elders surrounded the kneeling Cash and began chanting in an unknown language.

The Chairman brought the oil jar above Cash’s head.

Before tilting it, he spoke in a voice that clearly showed his exhaustion.

“I love you, Cash. Please, you alone…”

You alone?

Before she could ask what that meant, the Chairman tilted the jar.

The oil mixed with blood poured over her head.

She closed her eyes.

It should have been just three drops, but the metallic scent in the fragrance made Cash flinch.

Finally, as the last drop fell on her crown, a voice came from above.

“It’s done. Open your eyes.”

At the declaration of the ritual’s end, Cash felt a sense of deflation.

She had expected something more grandiose, like an ordeal.

Squeezing the remaining oil from her hair, she raised her head.

In the process, she made eye contact with one of the elders.

That’s when it happened.

“?!”

A sense of floating filled her vision.

It was the only way to describe it—a floating sensation.

Soon, countless threads appeared before her eyes.

Countless threads branching out like limbs from a single thread at her feet.

At the ends of those threads, she could see certain scenes.

She knew they were the futures of the elder and herself.

In countless futures, the elder respected and followed her. In some futures, the elder clashed with her but reluctantly followed.

And in a very few futures.

The elder poisoned her.

“!!”

She recoiled in shock, averting her gaze.

Her eyes met another elder.

In one out of a thousand futures, that elder stabbed Cash’s heart with a knife while she slept.

Another elder had a 0.01% chance of blowing up her car.

Someone had a 0.02% chance of pushing her off a cliff, and someone else had a 0.004% chance of locking her in a warehouse and setting it on fire.

Every elder, no matter how small the probability, held the possibility of killing her.

A sense of disgust surged.

The elders were now looking at her with endless goodwill.

“Oh! Are you seeing the future?”

“This child is a success!”

“What futures are you seeing?”

Without knowing what futures she had seen, they looked at her with kind eyes.

The dissonance intensified her disgust.

To escape the uncontrollable Future Vision, she made eye contact with her father.

Her father was looking at her with relief.

That kind-eyed man had, in one out of ten thousand futures.

Killed Cash or been killed by her.

That was the final blow.

“Ugh—!”

She vomited.

Her head throbbed.

Unable to handle the massive influx of information, her brain began to shut down.

As her vision darkened, she felt her father’s hands supporting her body.

In her ears, she heard the elders’ satisfied voices.

“Did she see such a distant future that she fainted? Or did she see too many futures?”

“Sleep well, child. We can explain when you wake up.”

“Hehe. Isn’t this the first time since the founding ancestor? A joyous occasion for the family.”

No voices of concern for her reached her ears.

Amid the rising nausea, the last voice she heard was her father’s.

“Cash. Don’t break. I love you. Truly.”

Feeling the touch of lips on her forehead, she closed her eyes for a moment.

---